In the time that's followed that trilogy-closer, Knightley has stuck to more 'actorly' roles, teaming with directors like David Cronenberg and Mark Romanek along the way. Does this mean Jack Ryan will be brainier than your average multiplex-packer then?

Chris Pine ( Star Trek ) has long been attached to the lead role in the Jack Ryan reboot, which will see him star as a younger version of the Tom Clancy character previously played by Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin.

It's not yet clear who Knightley will play - she could be Ryan's wife, but given her past practise with a Russian accent, there's the chance she could play a baddie (or an innocent Russian caught up in the mix).

Either way, THR reckons she bested fellow auditionees Felicity Jones and Evangeline Lilly for the role.

The Jack Ryan reboot currently lacks a title and a release date. Knightley can next be seen in Anna Karenina , which opens in the UK on 7 September 2012.